Fire preventing and extinguishing means



BLACK June 29 1926.

FIRE PREVENTING AND EXTINGUISHING MEANS Filed August 1'7, 1925 1 INVENTOR Wilbert Black WITNESSES ATTORNEYS Patented June 29, 1926.

UNITED STATES WILIBER'I. BLACK, or new oanpans, LouIsIAuA.

Fran PREVENTING m)- nx'rmeursnnaammns.

Application filed August 17,- leeisf serial No. 50,769.

My invention is a fire preventing and extinguishing' means for use in tanks which hold inflammable liquids, and it consists in the combinations,constructions and arrange ments herein described and claimed.

An object of the invention is the provision of simple, reliable and efiicient means adapted to practicallyprevent combustion of inflammable liquid in a-storage tank or like container, and affording facilities for extinguishing the flames should the liquid in the tank be ignited in any manner.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in 'which Figure 1 is a vertical section through a tank equipped with fire preventing and extinguishing means embodying the invention, showing liquid" in the tank and a fire preventing and extinguishing float on the surface of the liquid,

Figure 2 is a plan view 'of the tank with the fire extinguishing liquid discharging conduit system shown therein, with a portion of the cover plate of the float broken away,

Figure 3 is afragmentary vertical sectional view, showing a portion of the float and a portion of the wall of the-tank,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary edge view, showing the float, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary relatively'enlarged view. partly in vertical section and partly in side elevation, showing the discharge head portion of one of the liquid conducting duit system. I

In Figures 1 and 2, the numeral 1 designates a tank which may be of any desirable configuration and size and made of any suitable relatively incombustible material: The

tank 1 is provided with a lateral outlet 2 for liquid and is adapted to have liquid supplied thereto in any suitable known manner until the liquid in the tank extends to a desirable level,- preferably to a level adjacent to the upper end of the tank, as indicated at L. The outlet'2 is located adjacent to the level of the bottom of the tank but it will be understood that this outlet may be provided with suitable valve means, not shown, for preventing flow of liquid from pipes of the fire extinguishing con-' the tank through the outletswhen desired so that the liquid normally will fill the tank to the level indicated at L.

- The liquid in the tank may be highly i nflammable and it therefore is desirable that provision be made to render ignition and combustion of'theliquid in the tank diflicult and that provision also be made for extinguishing the flames should the liquid in the tank be ignited in any manner."

The invention contemplates the provision I of a non-inflammable surface covering for the liquid in the tank. This-surface cover ing is a float which comprises a casing 3 which houses a relatively great. number of small globular buoyant separate refractory members 4, made of glass, or other suitable buoyant refractory or relatively incombu'stible material. The floatcasing comprising, a bottom 5, a top 6-6", vertical radial part1- tions 8, and an endless body member 9 which flexibly connects the marginal edge portions of the top 6--6 and the bottom 5.

The bottom 5 and the partitions 8 are made of buoyant .wood whilethe top comprisesv the plate 6' made of buoyant wood and covered by the thin metallic sheet 6'. The body 9 of the float casing is made of fine mesh screen wire or like material. The globular float members 4 are packed between the top 66 and the bottom plate 5 of the float casing and of course between adjacent partitions 8, also. The cross sectional area of the float casing is slightly'less than that'of the space within the tank, so that the float can rise and fall freely with the level of liquid in the tank. The body9 of the float casing has an outwardly extending annular flange.

10 which of course is of foraminousmaterial also and is in contact at its outer edge with the-inner wall of' the tank body. This surface covering will practically exclude the atmosphere from the liquid in the tank and therefore oxygen from the atmosphere will not be permitted to support combustion of the li uid in the tank should-the latter be ignite in any way. I

The invention also provides a fire extinguishing liquid discharging conduit system for cooperating with thefloat members to extinguish the flames should the liquid in the tank be ignited and to tend to prevent fire. The liquid discharging conduit comprises a liquid supply pipe 11- which extends through a lateral opening 12 in the lower part of the tank to the center ofthe tankand is there connected with radially extend ing branch supply pipes 13. The supply pipe 11 has a fluid tight fit with the wall of the opening-'12 in tank 1 and may lead from any suitable source of supply of liquid having fire extinguishing properties. Riser or delivery pipes' 14 extend vertically through the liquid in the tank from the outer ends of the branch pipes 13 and from the mainsupply pipe 11. One of theriser their lower ends to the pipes on which they are supported insuchmanner as to be in open communication with the supporting pipes. The risergpipes 14 extend above the level of liquid in the tank 1 through alinecl openings in the .top and bottom members of the float casing and vertical bushings, as at 15, may encircle the riser pipes 14 and be secured in the alined openings in the to and bottom members of the float casing. X discharge head or nozzle for the upper end of each riser pipe may be a cap having an im erforate crown portion 16 and a tubular bo y' portion 17 which is secured on the upper end portion ofthe associated riser pipe, as by means of the co-engaging screw threads indicated at 18 and is provided with the radial discharge ports 19 which are located above the level of the associated forations 19' in the discharge heads or nozzles should the inflammable liquid in the tank be ignited. The water issuing from the nozzles will serve to extinguish the flames and will cool the float and thus will I cooperate with the latter to protect the inflammable liquid in the tank from fire.

Obviously, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that illustrated in the accompanying drawings and I therefore consider as my own-all such modifications and adaptations of the form of the device herein shown as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1'. In a fire preventing means for an inflammable liquid in a tank, a float casing adapted to' rise and fall with the level of liquid in the tank, ,and to be supported by said liquid, said float casing being made of buoyant material, a covering of light gauge relatively incombustible material on the float casing, and a plurality of globular buoyant relatively incombustible members housed within Said float casing.

2. In a fire preventing means for an inflammable liquid in the tank, a float casing adapted to be supported by the liquid in the tank and to rise and fall with the level of such liquid, said float casing comprising a bottom, a top, a foraminons endless body connecting the marginal edge portions of the bottom and top of the float casing, and globular relatively incombustible members disposed between said top and bottom of said float casing.

3, In a fire preventing means for an inflammable liquid in the tank, a float casing adapted to be supported by the liquid in the tank and to rise and fall with the level of such liquid, said float casing comprising a bottom, a top, a foraminous endless body connecting the marginal edge portions of the bottom and top of the float casing, and

globular relatively incombustible buoyant members disposed between said top and bot tom of said float casing, and an endless flange of relatively incombustible foraminous material extending radially outward from the endless body of the float casing to the inner wall of said tank.

' 4. In a fire preventing means for an infiannnableliquid in a tank, a float casing adapted to be supported b the liquid in the tank and to rise and fa l with the level of such liquid, said float casing comprising 7 connecting the. marginal edge portion of the bottom and top of the float casing, and radially extending vertical partition walls between said bottom and the topof the float casing, globular relatively incombustible .buoyant members disposed between said top and bottom of said float casing, and an endless flange of relatively incombustible foa bottom, a top, a foraminous endless body M raminous material extending radially outward from the endless body of the float casing to the inner wall of said tank.

' WILBERT BLACK. 

